Wednesday, 27 July 2011

Tuesday, 26 July 2011

Wizards of the Coast has now implemented a feature on their site where users can add their characters to their profiles.

The company said in a recent broadcast: "We've set up a new software option that's available on your profile page. The “My Characters” module lets you display mini-profiles of your D&D characters in your Wizards Community profile, for others to browse, critique, and admire. You can import details directly from the D&D Character Builder or manually type them into a form."

In roleplaying there's an unwritten rule that you don't talk about your characters, but it looks like Wizards is trying to change that - but how will this affect play?

Friday, 15 July 2011

Thursday, 14 July 2011

Over the Western Ocean we come to The Old World, where we port in the rich land of Femphray, a green and happy place full of beauty and majesty.

Following the Chalanna River we eventually arrive at the glorious Crystal City, a place built of crystals from the enigmatic Crystal Lake. It is known that the hot springs beneath the water heat up the crystals so much that sometimes the lake can boil.

Wednesday, 13 July 2011

In 1982 Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson wrote a short book that would eventually become The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, the first Fighting Fantasy. However, they were not to know that Firetop Mountain would become the first location in a living, breathing world with three continents, numerous islands and vast, dangerous oceans. Titan was born.

From the labyrinthine dwarven capital of Fangthane to the ancient cities of the Snake People, Titan is a world of wonder and terrible danger. In most of the books the player takes on the role of a character who must travel the lands, exploring this fascinating place and uncovering its mysteries.

In this series of posts I will take you on a journey to Titan, starting with the most famous of all the continents: Allansia.

Tuesday, 12 July 2011

In the 80s there was nothing holding back the popularity of the ever-growing Fighting Fantasy series but as videogames became more commonplace the gamebooks' popularity began to wane.

It became apparent that in order to succeed and remain relevant, authors Ian Livingstone and Steve Jackson had to evolve the series into something bigger and more formidable.

The pair had attempted videogames before in 1984 with a range of their most popular titles being translated into games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, BBC and Commodore 64. However, they were moving into a new age where the Playstation was the king of entertainment and not many kids were interested in the old paper adventures anymore.

Monday, 11 July 2011

One of the best things about Fighting Fantasy is the superb artwork that honestly dwarfs most roleplaying art to this day. Yet few can come close to the immense fantasy illustrations of the man who created the Warlock of Firetop Mountain himself - Russ Nicholson.

Any hard-core Fighting Fantasy fan can instantly recognise one of Nicholson's intricate line drawings that brought the dark and deadly world of Titan to life before our very eyes. His art is impossibly detailed and evocative of an unwelcoming fantasy realm, from magnificent cityscapes to blood-chilling monsters from the dark.

This week Trollish Delver is celebrating the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series and the people who bring these great adventures to life.

Many people from the UK fondly remember becoming absorbed in the Warlock of Firetop Mountain when they were kids and since them Fighting Fantasy has become the world leader in gamebook roleplaying games.

Over the coming week I'll be looking at some of the best (and worst) titles, the who's who of Titan and what the future holds for the series. But first, here's a little history.

This is a joint post with the awesome Gianni, creator of the historical Chinese BRP setting The Celestial Empire and owner of the Celestial Empire blog.

I'm not one of these people who believes in Cryptids like the Yeti or Nessie, but I have no problem with shoving them into an RPG.

The Mongolian Death Worm reportedly lives in the Gobi Desert and is apparently red with a mouth of razor sharp teeth and capable of spewing corrosive acid. They grow from 2 to 5 feet in length and can - get this - kill things by electrocuting them. Read more after the jump.

Saturday, 9 July 2011

Sometimes an adventure doesn't have to involve delving into dungeons dark and deep or traversing miles of hostile land and Ken St Andre sets out to prove that.

This is another is a series of revamped solitaire adventures from the pen of the Trollgod, this time an extension of an adventure that appeared in a Sorcerer's Apprentice Magazine #2 (cheers, Soren) under the original name The Seven Ayes.

The adventure is set solely in the Seven Ayes Tavern, a wretched hive of scum and villainy owned by a retired pirate, who has the irritating policy of making you leave all weapons except your dagger at the door. However, after entering you will soon be cozying up to a goblin/kobold hybrid, drinking out of horns and battling a pirate vampire.

Thursday, 7 July 2011

I've mentioned my friend Jeff Freels on the blog a few times because of his Tunnels and Trolls artwork and amazing RPG, BEAN!

Jeff needs your help. He is raising funds for Raquel, whose kidneys were destroyed by a bad prescription. She has to go on dialysis four times a week, which is, as he says, a most gruelling process to go through.

Being the amazing man that he is, Jeff has set up The Transplant Fund on his site where you can go and donate, or buy something - all proceeds go straight to getting a transplant for Raquel.

I really encourage you to either buy BEAN! or some art, or just donate to this good cause. Let's make life a little easier for these awesome folks.

Monday, 4 July 2011

It's been just over a year since Wizard Publishing announced that a House of Hell movie is being made based on the Fighting Fantasy gamebook of the same name. But what the hell has become of the project?

The team behind the film, Superteam Films, has been ominously quiet since the flurry of web-based activity we were treated to in May/June last year when a couple of cast video diaries were uploaded onto the site.

Saturday, 2 July 2011

There are a few games that I'm excited about over the coming year but The One Ring: Adventures Over the Edge of the Wild by far is the one I'm salivating over the most.

Cubicle 7, the company that distills almost every intellectual property ever into tabletop imagination fodder, is slowly leaking information about their upcoming title like an incontinent old man wearing a Sauron mask.

Their latest batch of info pellets come in the form of brief overviews of each of the cultures in TOR:AOTEOTW.